System and method for monitoring power consumption of an appliance

ABSTRACT

A method for monitoring power consumption of an appliance within a space is provided. The method includes obtaining a first set of data indicative of power consumption of the appliance during an interval of time and determining a profile indicative of power consumption of the appliance based, at least in part, on the first set of data. The method includes obtaining a second set of data indicative of power consumption of the appliance subsequent to obtaining the first set of data. The method includes determining whether power consumption of the appliance deviates from the profile based, at least in part, on the second set of data. Furthermore, in response to determining power consumption of the appliance deviates from the profile, the method includes providing a notification indicative of power consumption of the appliance deviating from the profile.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/994,423, filed Mar. 25, 2020, the entire content ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a system and method formonitoring operation (e.g. power consumption) of an appliance locatedwithin a space.

SUMMARY

In-wall devices may include devices that may be mounted on or at leastpartially disposed within a wall or other surface (e.g., in a wallmounted electrical box). Example in-wall devices may include powerswitches used to control various powered devices, such as electronics,light sources, appliances, power outlets, and/or other devices. Powerswitches may control power delivered to a load, for instance, byinterrupting a conductor delivering power to a load. Example powerswitches may include, for instance, single or multiple on/off toggleswitches, paddle or rocker switches, single or multiple pole dimmerswitches, power outlets, etc.

In some instances, power switches and other in-wall devices communicatewith other electronic devices over one or more communication links. Forinstance, power switches may be capable of communicating usingcommunication technologies, such as Bluetooth low energy, Bluetooth meshnetworking, near-field communication, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Ethernet, etc.

Aspects and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will beset forth in part in the following description, or may be learned fromthe description, or may be learned through practice of the embodiments.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for monitoringpower consumption of an appliance within a space. The method includesobtaining a first set of data indicative of power consumption of theappliance during an interval of time and determining a profileindicative of power consumption of the appliance based, at least inpart, on the first set of data. The method includes obtaining a secondset of data indicative of power consumption of the appliance subsequentto obtaining the first set of data. The method includes determiningwhether power consumption of the appliance deviates from the profilebased, at least in part, on the second set of data. Furthermore, inresponse to determining power consumption of the appliance deviates fromthe profile, the method includes providing a notification indicative ofpower consumption of the appliance deviating from the profile.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a system formonitoring operation of an appliance within a space. The system includesa power switch configured to control power delivery to one or moreelectrical loads within a space, the power switch comprising one or moremicrophones. The system further includes an electrical outlet configuredto couple the appliance to a power source, the electrical outletcomprising a power meter circuit configured to monitor power consumptionof the appliance. The system further includes on or more computingdevices configured to obtain a first set of data indicative of powerconsumption of the appliance during an interval of time via a powermeter circuit associated with an electrical outlet configured to couplethe appliance to a power source, determine a profile indicative of powerconsumption of the appliance based, at least in part, on the first setof data, and subsequent to determining the profile, obtain a second setof data indicative of power consumption of the appliance via the powermeter circuit associated with the electrical outlet. The one or morecomputing devices are further configured to determine whether powerconsumption of the appliance deviates from the profile based, at leastin part, on the second set of data and provide a notification indicativeof power consumption of the appliance deviating from the profile.

Before any embodiments are explained in detail, it is to be understoodthat the embodiments are not limited in their application to the detailsof the configuration and arrangement of components set forth in thefollowing description or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Theembodiments are capable of being practiced or of being carried out invarious ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology andterminology used herein are for the purpose of description and shouldnot be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or“having” and variations thereof are meant to encompass the items listedthereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unlessspecified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,”“supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly andencompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, andcouplings.

In addition, it should be understood that embodiments may includehardware, software, and electronic components or modules that, forpurposes of discussion, may be illustrated and described as if themajority of the components were implemented solely in hardware. However,one of ordinary skill in the art, and based on a reading of thisdetailed description, would recognize that, in at least one embodiment,the electronic-based aspects may be implemented in software (e.g.,stored on non-transitory computer-readable medium) executable by one ormore processing units, such as a microprocessor and/or applicationspecific integrated circuits (“ASICs”). As such, it should be noted thata plurality of hardware and software-based devices, as well as aplurality of different structural components, may be utilized toimplement the embodiments. For example, “servers,” “computing devices,”“controllers,” “processors,” etc., described in the specification mayinclude one or more processing units, one or more computer-readablemedium modules, one or more input/output interfaces, and variousconnections (e.g., a system bus) connecting the components.

Relative terminology, such as, for example, “about,” “approximately,”“substantially,” etc., used in connection with a quantity or conditionwould be understood by those of ordinary skill to be inclusive of thestated value and has the meaning dictated by the context (e.g., the termincludes at least the degree of error associated with the measurementaccuracy, tolerances [e.g., manufacturing, assembly, use, etc.]associated with the particular value, etc.). Such terminology shouldalso be considered as disclosing the range defined by the absolutevalues of the two endpoints. For example, the expression “from about 2to about 4” also discloses the range “from 2 to 4”. The relativeterminology may refer to plus or minus a percentage (e.g., 1%, 5%, 10%,or more) of an indicated value. As another example, the use of the term“about” in conjunction with a numerical value is intended to refer towithin 20% of the stated amount. Also, use of the term “obtaining” or“obtain” may include receiving, determining, calculating, accessing,reading or otherwise obtaining data.

Functionality described herein as being performed by one component maybe performed by multiple components in a distributed manner. Likewise,functionality performed by multiple components may be consolidated andperformed by a single component. Similarly, a component described asperforming particular functionality may also perform additionalfunctionality not described herein. For example, a device or structurethat is “configured” in a certain way is configured in at least that waybut may also be configured in ways that are not explicitly listed.

Other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent by consideration ofthe detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a system for monitoring operationof an appliance according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a power switch included in thesystem of FIG. 1 according to embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary lighting fixture used in conjunctionwith a power switch according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an electrical outlet included inthe system of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a system for monitoring powerconsumption of an appliance according to some embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a process or operation formonitoring power consumption of an appliance according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 depicts is block diagram of a control device according to someembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments, one or moreexamples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example isprovided by way of explanation of the embodiments, not limitation of thepresent disclosure. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in theart that various modifications and variations may be made to theembodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the presentdisclosure. For instance, features illustrated or described as part ofone embodiment may be used with another embodiment to yield a stillfurther embodiment. Thus, it is intended that aspects of the presentdisclosure cover such modifications and variations.

Example aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a system formonitoring power consumption of an appliance within a space. Theappliance may include any suitable type of electrical load configured todraw power from a power source (e.g., AC mains). For instance, in someimplementations, the appliance may include any suitable type ofhousehold appliance (e.g., coffee machine, oven, refrigerator, freezer,washing machine, dryer, etc.). The system may include an electricaloutlet or other in-wall device configured to electrically couple theappliance to the power source. In some implementations, the electricaloutlet may include one or more receptacles configured to receive a plugof a power cord associated with the appliance. The electrical outlet orother in-wall device may include a power meter circuit. The power metercircuit may be configured to obtain data indicative of power consumptionof the appliance. As will be discussed below in more detail, the systemmay include one or more computing devices configured to monitor powerconsumption of the appliance based, at least in part, on powerconsumption data obtained via the power meter circuit of the electricaloutlet or other in-wall device.

The one or more computing devices may be configured to obtain, via thepower meter circuit, a first set of data indicative of power consumptionof the appliance during an interval of time. It should be appreciatedthat the interval time may correspond to any suitable amount of time.For instance, in some implementations, the interval of time may be about1 day (e.g., 24 hours), 1 week (e.g., 168 hours), or any other suitableamount of time.

The one or more computing devices may be configured to determine aprofile indicative of power consumption of the appliance based, at leastin part, on the first set of data. The profile may indicate patterns ofuse of the appliance during the interval of time. For instance, in someimplementations, the profile may indicate the appliance consumes morepower at a particular time of day (e.g., morning, afternoon, evening).

The one or more computing devices may be configured to obtain, via thepower meter circuit, a second set of data indicative of powerconsumption of the appliance subsequent to determining the profile. Theone or more computing devices may be further configured to determinewhether power consumption of the appliance deviates from the profile.For instance, the one or more computing devices may be configured tocompare the second set of data against the first set of data used todetermine the profile for the appliance. When the second set of datadeviates from the first set of data by a predetermined amount, the oneor more computing devices may be configured to determine powerconsumption of the appliance has deviated from the profile. As will bediscussed below in more detail, the one or more computing devices may beconfigured to provide a notification indicative of power consumption ofthe appliance deviating from the profile.

In some implementations, the system may include a power switchconfigured to control power delivery to one or more electrical loadswithin the space. For instance, in some implementations, the one or moreelectrical loads may include one or lighting fixtures within the space.Alternatively and/or additionally, the one or more electrical loads mayinclude one or more ceiling fans configured to circulate air within thespace. The power switch may include a power meter circuit configured tomonitor power consumption of the one or more electrical loads.Additionally, the power switch may include one or more microphonesconfigured to detect audible noise. For instance, the one or moremicrophones may detect audible noise associated with one or more voicecommands spoken by a user present within the space to toggle power tothe one or more electrical loads.

In some implementations, the one or more computing devices may beconfigured to determine whether a person is present within the space inresponse to determining power consumption of the appliance deviates fromthe profile. For instance, the one or more computing devices may beconfigured to obtain a third set of data from the power switch. As willbe discussed below, the third set of data may include power consumptiondata obtained via the power meter circuit of the power switch and/oraudio data obtained via the one or more microphones of the power switch.It should be appreciated, however, that the third set of data mayinclude any suitable type of data obtained via the power switch andindicative of whether a person is present within the space.

In some implementations, the power consumption data may indicate whetherthe one or more electrical loads are activated (e.g., turned on) ordeactivated (e.g., turned off). For instance, when the power consumptiondata obtained from the power meter circuit of the power switch indicatesthe one or more lighting fixtures are activated (e.g., turned on) suchthat a light source thereof is illuminating the space, the powerconsumption data may indicate a person is present within the space.Conversely, the power consumption data may indicate a person is notpresent within the space when the power consumption data obtained viathe power meter circuit of the power switch indicates the one or morelighting fixtures are deactivated (e.g., turned off) such that the lightsource thereof is not illuminating the space.

In some implementations, the one or computing device may be configuredto determine whether a person is present within the space based, atleast, in part, on audio data obtained via the one or more microphonesof the power switch. For instance, the one or more computing devices maybe configured to determine a person is present within the space when theaudio data includes audible noise indicative of a person being presentwithin the space. Examples of the audible noise may include, withoutlimitation, one or more words (e.g., voice commands) spoken by theperson, one or more audible gestures (e.g., laughing) made by theperson, or any other suitable noise made by the person.

When the one or more computing devices determine a person is presentwithin the space, the one or more computing devices may be configured toprovide one or more control signals associated with controllingoperation of the power switch to provide a notification (e.g., audibleand/or visual) indicative of power consumption of the appliancedeviating from the profile. For example, the one or more control signalsmay be associated with providing an audible notification over one ormore speakers of the power switch. In this manner, the audiblenotification may be heard by the person present within the space and mayprompt the person to take one or more actions to prevent damage to theappliance and/or the electrical outlet coupling the appliance to thepower source. For instance, the audible notification may prompt theperson to unplug the power cord of the appliance from the electricaloutlet.

When the one or more computing devices determine no one is presentwithin the space, the one or more computing devices may be configured toprovide a notification indicative of power consumption of the appliancedeviating from the profile to one or more user devices (e.g.,smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.) associated with one or more persons.For instance, the notification may include an audible notification(e.g., automated phone call, etc.) provided to the one or more userdevices. Alternatively and/or additionally, the notification may includea visual notification (e.g., text message, email, etc.) provided to theone or more user devices. In this manner, one or more persons associatedwith the one or more user devices may be notified of power consumptionof the appliance deviating from the profile. Furthermore, thenotification may prompt the one or more persons to enter the space totake one or more actions to prevent damage to the appliance and/or theelectrical outlet coupling the appliance to the power source. Inparticular, the notification may prompt the one or more persons tounplug a power cord associated with the appliance from the electricaloutlet.

The system of the present disclosure provides numerous technicalbenefits. For instance, data (e.g., power consumption data and/or audiodata) obtained from the power switch may allow the system to determinewhether a person is present within the space and provide a localnotification via the power switch to notify the person that powerconsumption of the appliance has deviated from the profile. In thismanner, the notification may prompt the person to take action to preventdamage to the appliance and/or the electrical outlet coupling theappliance to the power source.

Referring now to the Figures, FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 formonitoring power consumption of an appliance 102 within a space 104according to example embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown,the system 100 includes a power switch 110 configured to control powerdelivery to one or more lighting fixtures 106 (e.g., luminaires) withinthe space 104. In this manner, lighting within the space 104 may becontrolled by the power switch 110. It should be appreciated, however,that the power switch 110 may be configured to control power delivery toany suitable load. For instance, in some implementations, the powerswitch 110 is configured to control power delivery to one or moreceiling fans in the space 104.

In some implementations, the power switch 110 is coupled to anelectrical panel 108 including one or more circuit breakers. Morespecifically, the power switch 110 may be coupled to the electricalpanel 108 via one or more conductors 107. In some implementations, theelectrical panel 108 is coupled to a power source 109 (e.g., AC mains).In this manner, electrical power is provided from the power source 109to the power switch 110 via the electrical panel 108.

As shown, the system 100 further includes an in-wall device, orelectrical outlet, 150. The electrical outlet 150 is coupled to theelectrical panel 108 via one or more conductors 160 (e.g., wires) andmay include one or more receptacles. In this manner, a plug of a powercord associated with the appliance 102 may be plugged into one of thereceptacles to couple the appliance 102 to the power source 109. Itshould be appreciated that, in some implementations, the appliance 102and the one or more lighting fixtures 106 may be on separate circuits.For instance, the one or more lighting fixtures 106 may be coupled to afirst circuit breaker associated with the electrical panel 108, whereasthe appliance 102 may be coupled to a second circuit breaker associatedwith the electrical panel 108 that is different than the first circuitbreaker.

FIG. 2 illustrates suitable components of the power switch 110 accordingto example embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the powerswitch 110 includes one or more switching elements 112 configured toselectively couple the one or more lighting fixtures 106 (FIG. 1 ) tothe power source 109. In some implementations, the one or more switchingelements 112 are configurable in at least a first state and a secondstate. When the one or more switching elements 112 are configured in thefirst state, power is delivered from the power source to the one or morelighting fixtures (FIG. 1 ). In contrast, power is not delivered fromthe power source to the one or more lighting fixtures 106 (FIG. 1 ) whenthe one or more switching elements 112 are in the second configuration.It should be appreciated that the one or more switching elements 112 mayinclude any suitable device configured to control power delivery to theload. For instance, in some implementations, the one or more switchingelements 112 may include one or more contactors. Alternatively, the oneor more switching elements 112 may include one or more transistors, oneor more silicon controlled rectifier (SCR), one or more TRIACs, or anyother suitable device configured to control power delivery to the load(e.g., lighting fixture).

In some implementations, the power switch 110 includes a power metercircuit 114. The power meter circuit 114 is configured to detect (e.g.,measure) power consumption of the one or more lighting fixtures 106(FIG. 1 ) selectively coupled to the power source 109 via the one ormore switching elements 112. It should be appreciated that the powermeter circuit 114 may include any suitable electrical components. Forinstance, in some implementations, the power meter circuit 114 mayinclude one or more voltage sensors and/or one or more current sensors.

In some implementations, the power switch 110 includes one or morecontrol devices 116. The one or more control devices 116 are configuredto control power delivery to the one or more lighting fixtures 106 (FIG.1 ). In particular, the one or more control devices 116 may beconfigured to control operation of the one or more switching elements112 to selectively couple the one or more lighting fixtures 106 to thepower source 109.

In some implementations, the power switch 110 includes a communicationcircuit 118. The communication circuit 118 may include associatedelectronic circuitry that may be used to communicatively couple the oneor more control devices 116 with other devices, such as one or morecontrol devices associated with a user device (e.g., smartphone, tablet,laptop, etc.). In some implementations, the communication circuit 118allows the one or more control devices 116 to communicate directly withthe other devices. In other implementations, the communication circuit118 provides for communication with the other devices over a network.

The network may be any suitable type of network, such as aPower-Over-Ethernet (POE) network, a local area network (e.g.,intranet), a wide area network (e.g., internet), a low power wirelessnetwork (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Zigbee, etc.), or somecombination thereof and may include any number of wired or wirelesslinks. In general, communication over the network may be implemented viaany type of wired or wireless connection, using a wide variety ofcommunication protocols, encodings or formats, and/or protectionschemes.

Example communication technologies used in accordance with exampleaspects of the present disclosure may include, for instance, Bluetoothlow energy, Bluetooth mesh networking, near-field communication, Thread,TLS (Transport Layer Security), Wi-Fi (e.g., IEEE, 802.11), Wi-Fi Direct(for peer-to-peer communication), Z-Wave, Zigbee, Halow, cellularcommunication, LTE, low-power wide area networking, VSAT, Ethernet, MoCA(Multimedia over Coax Alliance), PLC (Power-line communication), DLT(digital line transmission), Power over Ethernet, etc. Other suitablewired and/or wireless communication technologies may be used withoutdeviating from the scope of the present disclosure.

In some implementations, the power switch 110 includes one or more inputdevices 120 communicatively coupled with the one or more control devices116. In some implementations, the one or more input devices 120 mayinclude, without limitation, a press-button, a rocker switch, a paddleswitch, or a rocker switch. It should be appreciated, however, that theone or more input devices 120 may include any suitable type of inputdevice. In some implementations, the one or more input devices 120 maybe manipulated to selectively couple the one or more lighting fixtures106 (FIG. 1 ) to the power source 109 (FIG. 1 ). Alternatively oradditionally, the one or more lighting fixtures 106 (FIG. 1 ) mayinclude a dimmable light source, and the one or more input devices 120may be manipulated to dim or brighten the dimmable light source.

In some implementations, the power switch 110 includes one or moreoutput devices 122 communicatively coupled with the one or more controldevices 116. For instance, the one or more output devices 122 mayinclude one or more speakers configured to emit audible noise.Alternatively or additionally, the one or more output devices 122 mayinclude one or more indicator lights (e.g., LED indicator lights).

In some implementations, the power switch 110 includes a dimmer circuit124. In some implementations, the power switch 110 may include a dimmercircuit 124. Referring briefly now to FIG. 3 , the dimmer circuit 124 iscommunicatively coupled with the one or more control devices 116 of thepower switch 110. In some implementations, the dimmer circuit 124 isconfigured to receive a control signal 310 from the one or more controldevices 116. The control signal 310 may be associated with dimming orbrightening a light source 111 of the one or more lighting fixtures 106.It should be appreciated that the light source 111 may include anysuitable type of light source. For instance, in some implementations,the light source 111 may include a light emitting diode (LED) device.

The dimmer circuit 124 may be configured to output a dimming controlsignal 320 based, at least in part, on the control signal 310. Thedimming control signal 320 may be, for instance, a 0V to 10V signal. Asused herein, a 0V to 10V dimming control signal may vary from, forinstance, 1V to 9V, 1V to 10V, 2V to 8V, 2V to 9V, 2V, to 10V, 1V to11V, or other suitable range between about 0V and about 10V. Othersuitable protocols may be used for the dimming control signal 320. Forinstance, the dimming control signal 320 may be a digital addressablelighting interface (DALI) dimming control signal, digital multiplex(DMX) dimming control signal, or other dimming control signal.

As shown, the one or more lighting fixtures 106 include a driver circuit113. The driver circuit 113 may be configured to receive an input power,such as an input AC power or an input DC power, from a power source. Thedriver circuit 113 may be further configured to convert the input powerto a suitable driver current 330 for powering a load, such as the lightsource 111 of the one or more lighting fixtures 106. In someembodiments, the driver circuit 113 may include various components, suchas switching elements (e.g. transistors) that are controlled to providethe suitable driver current 330. For instance, in one embodiment, thedriver circuit 113 includes one or more transistors. Gate timingcommands may be provided to the one or more transistors to convert theinput power to a suitable driver current using pulse width modulationtechniques. In other instances, the driver circuit 113 may be a directdrive AC circuit with full bridge rectification wherein the drivercurrent 330 is a constant I_(rms) current.

In some implementations, the driver circuit 113 is a dimmable drivercircuit. For instance, the driver circuit 113 may receive the dimmingcontrol signal 320 from the dimmer circuit 124 of the power switch 110.In this manner, the driver circuit 113 may control the driver current330 based, at least in part, on the dimming control signal 320. Forexample, reducing the dimming control signal 320 by about 50 percentresults in a corresponding reduction in the driver current 330 of about50 percent. The reduction of the driver current 330 for supply to theone or more lighting fixtures 106 (FIG. 1 ) results in the radiant fluxof one or more light sources 111 of the one or more lighting fixtures106 being decreased

In some implementations, the power switch 110 includes one or moremicrophones 126. The one or microphones 126 may be configured to detectaudible noise within the space 104 (FIG. 1 ). For instance, the one ormore microphones 126 may be configured to detect audible noise made by aperson within the space 104. In this manner, the power switch 110 maydetect presence of a person within the space 104 based, at least inpart, on audio data obtained via the one or more microphones 126thereof.

Referring now to FIG. 4 , components of the electrical outlet 150 areprovided according to example embodiments of the present disclosure. Asshown, the electrical outlet 150 includes a power meter circuit 152. Thepower meter circuit 152 may be configured to detect (e.g., measure)power consumption of the appliance 102 (FIG. 1 ) that is coupled to thepower source 109 via the electrical outlet 150. It should be appreciatedthat the power meter circuit 152 may include any suitable electricalcomponents. For instance, in some implementations, the power metercircuit 152 may include one or more voltage sensors and/or one or morecurrent sensors.

In some implementations, the electrical outlet 150 includes one or morecontrol devices 154. The one or more control devices 154 may beconfigured to control operation of the power meter circuit 152. Inparticular, the one or more control devices 154 may be configured toobtain data indicative of power consumption of the appliance 102 (FIG. 1) via the power meter circuit 152.

In some implementations, the electrical outlet 150 includes acommunication circuit 156. The communication circuit 156 may includeassociated electronic circuitry that may be used to communicativelycouple the one or more control devices 154 with the other devices suchas one or more control devices associated with a user device (e.g.,smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.). In some implementations, thecommunication circuit 156 may allow the one or more control devices 154to communicate directly with the other devices. In otherimplementations, the communication circuit 156 may provide forcommunication with the other devices over a network.

Referring now to FIG. 5 , the power switch 110 and/or the electricaloutlet 150 are in communication with user devices 520, 560. Forinstance, user devices 520, 560 may include one or more smartphones,laptops, desktops, tablets, wearable devices, media devices, displayswith one or more processors, or other suitable devices. In someimplementations, the power switch 110 and/or electrical outlet 150 arein communication with the user devices 520, 560 via a directcommunication link (e.g., direct wired or wireless communication link)or via a network, such as local area network 540. The directcommunication link may be implemented, for instance, using Bluetooth lowenergy or other suitable communication protocol. In someimplementations, a user may control, view information, and/or specifyone or more settings associated with the power switch 110 and/or theelectrical outlet 150 via a graphical user interface implemented on adisplay of the user device 520, 560. For instance, a user may access anapplication implemented on the user device 520. The application maypresent a graphical user interface on a display of the user device 520,560. In this manner, a user may interact with the graphical userinterface to control operation of the power switch 110 and/or theelectrical outlet 150.

The local area network 540 may be any suitable type of network orcombination of networks that allows for communication between devices.In some embodiments, the network(s) may include one or more of a securenetwork, Wi-Fi network, IoT network, mesh network, one or morepeer-to-peer communication links, and/or some combination thereof, andmay include any number of wired or wireless links. Communication overthe local area network 540 may be accomplished, for instance, via acommunication interface using any type of protocol, protection scheme,encoding, format, packaging, etc.

As shown, the system 100 may further include a gateway 555 that allowsaccess to a wide area network 550. The wide area network 550 may be, forinstance, the Internet, cellular network, or other network, and mayinclude any number of wired or wireless links Communication over thewide area network 550 may be accomplished, for instance, via acommunication interface using any type of protocol, protection scheme,encoding, format, packaging, etc. As shown, the connected devices 502may communicate information over the wide area network 550 to remotecomputing system 580 and 590 and other remote computing devices of thesystem 100 via the gateway 555.

In some implementations, power consumption data collected via theelectrical outlet 150 is communicated to the remote computing system580. In particular, a first set of data obtained via the power metercircuit 152 (FIG. 4 ) of the electrical outlet 150 during an interval oftime (e.g., 24 hours) may be communicated to the remote computing system580. The first set of data may be indicative of power consumption of theappliance 102 (FIG. 1 ) during the interval of time. The remotecomputing system 580 is configured to process the first set of data todetermine a profile indicative of power consumption of the appliance 102(FIG. 1 ). Furthermore, a second set of data obtained via the powermeter circuit 152 (FIG. 4 ) of the electrical outlet 150 may becommunicated to the remote computing system 580 subsequent to the remotecomputing system 580 determining the profile indicative of powerconsumption of the appliance 102. The remote computing system 580 isconfigured to process the second set of data to determine whether powerconsumption of the appliance 102 deviates from the profile determinedbased, at least in part, on the first set of data. In particular, theremote computing system 580 may be configured to compare the second setof data against the first set of data. When the second set of datadeviates from the first set of data by a threshold amount, the remotecomputing system 580 is configured to determine power consumption of theappliance 102 has deviated from the profile indicative of powerconsumption of the appliance 102. As will be discussed below, anotification indicative of power consumption of the appliance 102deviating from the profile may be provided to notify a person of theevent. In this manner, the person may be prompted to take one or moreactions to prevent damage to the appliance 102 and/or the electricaloutlet 150 due, at least in part, to the appliance 102 deviating fromthe profile indicative of power consumption of the appliance 102.

In some implementations, the remote computing system 580 may obtain athird set of data from the power switch 110 in response to determiningpower consumption of the appliance 102 has deviated from the profile.For example, the third set of data may include power consumption dataobtained via the power meter circuit 114 (FIG. 2 ) of the power switch110. In particular, the power consumption data may indicate whether theone or more lighting fixtures 106 (FIG. 1 ) within the space 104 areactivated (e.g., turned on) or deactivated (e.g., turned off). In thismanner, the remote computing system 580 may determine whether a personis present within the space 104 based, at least in part, on the powerconsumption data obtained via the power meter circuit 114 of the powerswitch 110.

Alternatively and/or additionally, the third set of data may includeaudio data obtained via the one or more microphones 126 (FIG. 2 ) of thepower switch 110. In particular, the audio data may be indicative ofaudible noise made by a person present within the space 104. In someimplementations, the audio data may be indicative of one or more voicecommands spoken by the person. For example, the one or more voicecommands may be associated with toggling power to the one or morelighting fixtures 106 (FIG. 1 ). More specifically, the one or morevoice commands may be associated with coupling the light source 111(FIG. 3 ) of the one or more lighting fixtures 106 to the power source109 (FIG. 1 ) such that the light source 111 illuminates the space 104.Alternatively, the one or more voice commands may be associated withdecoupling the light source 111 from the power source 109 such that thelight source 111 does not illuminate the space 104 in which the one ormore lighting fixtures 106 are located.

In some implementations, the remote computing system 580 may beconfigured to process the audio data to determine the one or more voicecommands. Furthermore, the remote computing system 580 may be configuredto determine one or more actions associated with controlling operationof the power switch 110 according to the one or more voice commands. Inthis manner, the remote computing system 580 may be configured toimplement a digital assistant service associated with the power switch110. In alternative implementations, the remote computing system 580 maycommunicate the audio data to remote computing system 590, which may beconfigured to process the audio data and implement the digital assistantservice associated with the power switch 110.

When the remote computing system 580 determines a person is presentwithin the space 104 based, at least in part, on the third set of data(e.g., power consumption data and/or audio data), the remote computingsystem 580 is configured to provide a notification to the person. Inparticular, the notification may be indicative of power consumption ofthe appliance 102 deviating from the profile. For instance, in someimplementations, the notification is an audible notification providedvia the one or more output devices 122 (FIG. 2 ) of the power switch110. In some implementations, the remote computing system 580 is furtherconfigured to provide a notification (e.g., audible and/or visual) touser devices 520, 560. In this manner, the notification is provided to auser device associated with the person. Alternatively and/oradditionally, the notification may be provided to user devices 520, 560associated with persons that are not present within the space 104.

When the remote computing system 580 determines a person is not presentwithin the space 104 based, at least in part, on the third set of data(e.g., power consumption data and/or audio data), the remote computingsystem 580 is configured to provide a notification (e.g., audible and/orvisual) to user devices 520, 560 associated with one or more persons.For instance, the notification may include a visual notification (e.g.,text message, email, etc.) indicative of power consumption of theappliance 102 deviating from the profile. Alternatively and/oradditionally, the notification may include an audible notification(e.g., automated phone call) indicative of power consumption of theappliance 102 deviating from the profile.

The remote computing system 580 and 590 may include one or morecomputing devices. The one or more computing devices may include one ormore processors and one or more memory devices. The remote computingsystems 580 and 590 may be distributed such that its components arelocated in different geographic areas. The technology discussed hereinrefers to computer-based systems and actions taken by and informationsent to and from computer-based systems. One of ordinary skill in theart will recognize that the inherent flexibility of computer-basedsystems allows for a great variety of possible configurations,combinations, and divisions of tasks and functionality between and amongcomponents. For instance, processes discussed herein may be implementedusing a single computing device or multiple computing devices working incombination. Databases, memory, instructions, and applications may beimplemented on a single system or distributed across multiple systems.Distributed components may operate sequentially or in parallel.

Although the remote computing system 580 and 590 are depicted as beingremote relative to the power switch 110, it should be appreciated that,in some implementations, the remote computing system 580 and 590 may beimplemented locally at the power switch 110. Stated another way, theremote computing system 580 and 590 may be included as part of the powerswitch 110. In such implementations, the electrical outlet 150 may beconfigured to communicate power consumption data (e.g., first set ofdata and second set of data) to the power switch 110 via the local areanetwork 540.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart illustrating a process or a method 600for monitoring power consumption of an appliance located within a spaceis provided according to example embodiments of the present disclosure.It should be appreciated that the method 600 may be implemented usingthe system 100 discussed above with reference to FIGS. 1-5 . FIG. 6depicts steps performed in a particular order for purposes ofillustration and discussion. Those of ordinary skill in the art, usingthe disclosures provided herein, will understand that various steps ofthe method 600 may be adapted, modified, rearranged, performedsimultaneously or modified in various ways without deviating from thescope of the present disclosure.

At (602), the method 600 includes obtaining, by one or more computingdevices, a first set of data indicative of power consumption of theappliance during an interval of time from a power meter circuitassociated with an electrical outlet configured to couple the applianceto a power source. In this manner, the power meter circuit may obtaindata indicative of power consumption of the appliance when a plug of apower cord associated with the appliance is plugged into the electricaloutlet. It should be appreciated that the interval time may correspondto any suitable amount of time. For instance, in some implementations,the interval of time may be about 1 day (e.g., 24 hours), 1 week (e.g.,168 hours), or any other suitable amount of time.

At (604), the method 600 includes determining, by the one or morecomputing devices, a profile indicative of power consumption of theappliance based, at least in part, on the first set of data obtained at(602). The profile may indicate patterns of use of the appliance overthe interval of time. For instance, in some implementations, the profilemay indicate the appliance consumes more power at a particular time(e.g., morning, afternoon, evening, etc.). As will be discussed below,data indicative of power consumption of the appliance may be obtainedsubsequent to determining the profile and compared against the profileto determine whether power consumption of the appliance deviates fromthe profile.

At (606), the method 600 includes obtaining, by the one or morecomputing devices, a second set of data indicative of power consumptionof the appliance from the power meter circuit of the electrical outlet.In this manner, the power meter circuit of the electrical outlet mayobtain data (e.g., second set of data) indicative of power consumptionof the appliance when a plug of a power cord associated with theappliance is plugged into the electrical outlet.

At (608), the method 600 includes determining, by the one or morecomputing devices, whether power consumption of the appliance deviatesfrom the profile determined at (604). In particular, the one or morecomputing devices are configured to compare the second set of dataobtained at (606) to the profile to determine whether power consumptionof the appliance deviates from the profile. For instance, in someimplementations, the second set of data may indicate that the applianceis consuming a greater amount of power at a particular time of daycompared to the amount of power the appliance was consuming at that sametime of day when the first set of data indicative of power consumptionwas obtained at (602). In particular, the one or more computing devicesmay be configured to determine power consumption of the appliancedeviates from the profile when the second set of data indicates powerconsumption deviates from the first set of data by a threshold amount.In this manner, the one or more computing devices may be configured toignore instances in which the second set of data deviates from the firstset of data by less than the threshold amount. However, when the secondset of data deviates from the first set of data by the threshold amount,the method 600 proceeds to (610). Otherwise, the method reverts to(606).

At (610), the method 600 includes determining, by the one or morecomputing devices, whether a person is present within the space in whichthe appliance is located. In some implementations, determining whetherthe person is present within the space may include obtaining a third setof data from a power switch configured to control power deliver to oneor more lighting fixtures within the space.

In some implementations, the third set of data may include powerconsumption data obtained via a power meter circuit of the power switch.It should be understood that the power consumption data may indicatewhether the one or more light fixtures are activated (e.g., turned on)or deactivated (e.g., turned off). For instance, when the powerconsumption data indicates the one or more lighting fixtures areactivated (e.g., turned on) such that a light source thereof isilluminating the space, the power consumption data may indicate a personis present within the space. Conversely, the power consumption data mayindicate a person is not present within the space when the powerconsumption data indicates the one or more lighting fixtures aredeactivated (e.g., turned off) such that the light source thereof is notilluminating the space.

In some implementations, the third set of data may include audio dataobtained via one or more microphones of the power switch. For instance,the one or more computing devices may be configured to determine aperson is present within the space when the audio data includes audiblenoise indicative of a person being present within the space. Examples ofthe audible noise may include, without limitation, one or more wordsspoken by the person, one or more audible gestures (e.g., laughing) madeby the person, or any other suitable noise made by the person. When theone or more computing devices determine a person is present within thespace, the method 600 proceeds to (612). Otherwise, the method 600proceeds to (614).

At (612), the method 600 includes providing, by the one or morecomputing devices, one or more control signals associated withcontrolling operation of the power switch to provide a notification(e.g., audible and/or visual) indicative of power consumption of theappliance deviating from the profile. For example, the one or morecontrol signals may be associated with providing an audible notificationover the one or more speakers of the power switch. In this manner, theaudible notification may be heard by the person present within the spacemay prompt the person to take one or more actions to prevent damage tothe appliance and/or the electrical outlet coupling the appliance to thepower source. For instance, the audible notification may prompt theperson to unplug the power cord of the appliance from the electricaloutlet.

At (614), the method 600 includes providing, by the one or morecomputing devices, a notification indicative of power consumption of theappliance deviating from the profile to one or more user devices (e.g.,smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.). For instance, the notification mayinclude an audible notification (e.g., automated phone call, etc.)provided to the one or more user devices. Alternatively and/oradditionally, the notification may include a visual notification (e.g.,text message, email, etc.) provided to the one or more user devices. Inthis manner, one or more persons that are remote relative to the spacemay be notified of power consumption of the appliance deviating from theprofile. Furthermore, the notification may prompt the one or morepersons to enter the space to take one or more actions to prevent damageto the appliance and/or the electrical outlet coupling the appliance tothe power source. In particular, the notification may prompt the one ormore persons to unplug a power cord associated with the appliance fromthe electrical outlet.

FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of suitable components of the one ormore control devices 116, 154. As shown, the one or more control devices116, 154 include one or more processors 702 configured to perform avariety of computer-implemented functions (e.g., performing the methods,steps, calculations and the like disclosed herein). As used herein, theterm “processor” refers not only to integrated circuits referred to inthe art as being included in a computer, but also refers to acontroller, microcontroller, a microcomputer, a programmable logiccontroller (PLC), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), aField Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and other programmable circuits.

As shown, the one or more control devices 116, 154 may include a memorydevice 704. Examples of the memory device 704 may includecomputer-readable media including, but not limited to, non-transitorycomputer-readable media, such as RAM, ROM, hard drives, flash drives, orother suitable memory devices. The memory device 704 may storeinformation accessible by the one or more processors 702, includingcomputer-readable instructions 706 that may be executed by the one ormore processors 702. The computer-readable instructions 706 may be anyset of instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors702, cause the one or more processors 702 to perform operations. Thecomputer-readable instructions 706 may be software written in anysuitable programming language or may be implemented in hardware.

In some implementations, the computer-readable instructions 706 may beexecuted by the one or more processors 702 to perform operations, suchas controlling power delivery to one or more loads. For instance,controlling power delivery to the one or more loads may includecontrolling operation of the one or more switching elements 210 toselectively couple the one or more loads to the power source (notshown).

While the present subject matter has been described in detail withrespect to specific example embodiments thereof, it will be appreciatedthat those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of theforegoing may readily produce alterations to, variations of, andequivalents to such embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the presentdisclosure is by way of example rather than by way of limitation, andthe subject disclosure does not preclude inclusion of suchmodifications, variations and/or additions to the present subject matteras would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for monitoring power consumption of anappliance within a space, the method comprising: obtaining, by one ormore computing devices, a first set of data indicative of powerconsumption of the appliance during an interval of time from a powermeter circuit associated with an electrical outlet configured to couplethe appliance to a power source; determining, by one or more computingdevices, a profile indicative of power consumption of the appliancebased, at least in part, on the first set of data; subsequent todetermining the profile, obtaining, by the one or more computingdevices, a second set of data indicative of power consumption of theappliance from the power meter circuit associated with the electricaloutlet; determining, by the one or more computing devices, whether powerconsumption of the appliance deviates from the profile based, at leastin part, on the second set of data; responsive to determining powerconsumption of the appliance deviates from the profile, determining, bythe one or more computing devices, whether a person is present withinthe space; responsive to determining power consumption of the appliancedeviates from the profile and responsive to determining the person ispresent within the space, providing, by the one or more computingdevices, a notification indicative of power consumption of the appliancedeviating from the profile; wherein determining whether the person ispresent within the space includes obtaining, by the one or morecomputing devices, a third set of data indicative of presence of theperson within the space via a power switch configured to control powerdelivery to one or more light sources configured to illuminate the spaceand determining, by the one or more computing devices, whether theperson is present within the space based, at least in part, on the thirdset of data.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the third set of datacomprises audio data obtained via one or more microphones of the powerswitch.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the third set of datacomprises data indicative of power consumption of the one or more lightsources.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: responsive todetermining the person is present within the space, providing, by theone or more computing devices, one or more control signals associatedwith controlling operation of the power switch to provide thenotification.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more controlsignals are associated with providing the notification via one or moreoutput devices of the power switch.
 6. The method of claim 5, whereinthe one or more output devices comprise one or more speakers.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: responsive to determining theperson is not present within the space, providing, by the one or morecomputing devices, the notification to a user device associated with oneor more persons that are remote relative to the space.
 8. The method ofclaim 7, wherein the notification comprises at least one of an audiblenotification and a visual notification.
 9. The method of claim 1,wherein determining whether power consumption of the appliance deviatesfrom the profile comprises: comparing, by the one or more computingdevices, the second set of data against the first set of data; anddetermining, by the one or more computing devices, power consumption ofthe appliance deviates from the profile when the second set of datadeviates from the first set of data by a threshold amount.
 10. A systemfor monitoring operation of an appliance within a space, the systemcomprising: a power switch configured to control power delivery to oneor more electrical loads within a space, the power switch comprising oneor more microphones; an electrical outlet configured to couple theappliance to a power source, the electrical outlet comprising a powermeter circuit configured to monitor power consumption of the appliance;and one or more computing devices configured to: obtain a first set ofdata indicative of power consumption of the appliance during an intervalof time via a power meter circuit associated with an electrical outletconfigured to couple the appliance to a power source; determine aprofile indicative of power consumption of the appliance based, at leastin part, on the first set of data; subsequent to determining theprofile, obtain a second set of data indicative of power consumption ofthe appliance via the power meter circuit associated with the electricaloutlet; determine whether power consumption of the appliance deviatesfrom the profile based, at least in part, on the second set of data;determine whether a person is present within the space in response todetermining power consumption of the appliance deviates from theprofile; and responsive to determining power consumption of theappliance deviates from the profile and responsive to determining theperson is present within the space, provide a notification indicative ofpower consumption of the appliance deviating from the profile, whereindetermining whether the person is present within the space includesobtaining, by the one or more computing devices, a third set of dataindicative of presence of the person within the space via a power switchconfigured to control power delivery to one or more light sourcesconfigured to illuminate the space and determining, by the one or morecomputing devices, whether the person is present within the space based,at least in part, on the third set of data.
 11. The system of claim 10,wherein the third set of data comprises audio data obtained via one ormore microphones of the power switch.
 12. The system of claim 10,wherein the third set of data comprises data indicative of powerconsumption of the one or more electrical loads.
 13. The system of claim12, wherein the one or more electrical loads comprise one or morelighting fixtures.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or moreelectrical loads comprise one or more ceiling fans.
 15. The system ofclaim 10, wherein the one or computing devices are further configuredto: provide one or more control signals associated with controllingoperation of the power switch to provide the notification in response todetermining the person is present within the space.
 16. The system ofclaim 15, wherein the one or more control signals are associated withproviding the notification via one or more output devices of the powerswitch.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more outputdevices comprise one or more speakers.
 18. The system of claim 10,wherein the one or more computing devices are further configured to:provide the notification to a user device associated with one or morepersons that are remote relative to the space in response to determiningthe person is not present within the space.